Born with the name Varius Avitus Bassianus, the young Syrian who became Roman Emperor in 218 AD is best known as Elagabalus, which is also the name of the sun god of the Syrian city Emesa. He attained the role of Emperor because he was allegedly the illegitimate son of a previous Roman Emperor, Caracalla, although some sources claim he was Caracalla’s nephew (Mangiaracin 1).
He was only about fourteen years old when he became Emperor of Rome. He took the name Antoninus at this time, for the name Antoninus was highly venerated in Rome, and at first the citizens felt great enthusiasm for this new Emperor who seemed to be “of the blood” and had defeated a tyrant (Historia Augusta 111). Part of the reason for the Romans’ enthusiastic embrace of this new Emperor is because of his depiction as a holy man who would “bring peace and prosperity to the Roman world” (Meckler n.p.).
Although he was Emperor, he was heavily under the influence of his mother, Symiamira, and made no official business without first gaining her permission (Historia Augusta 109). One of the most offensive things he did was to try to install his own god, Elagabalus the sun god, as the only god worshipped in Rome. According to him, other gods were merely slaves to his own, and he “tried to remove sacred symbols of other religions to his sun god temple and forced Christians and Jews to worship at them” (Mangiaracina 2).
One of the most unwise decisions he made to affect his reign was to appoint his amorous favorites to high positions in his government (Meckler n.p.). In addition, he also gave titles and positions to anyone willing to pay him large amounts of money (Historia Augusta 117). Surrounding himself with favorites who were more willing to play along with Elagabalus’s deviant escapades, and who were not qualified in any way to either rule or advise was a big mistake. It soon became clear to his senate and military that Elagabalus had no agenda except to take advantage of his position to play his games of pleasure, and not to restore peace and prosperity to Rome.
He was famous for his open homosexual relationships, for dressing up as a woman, and violating more than one Vestal Virgin; these actions were part of the reason his former supporters began to regret they helped elevate him to his position as Emperor (Historia Augusta 115). One of his many indulgences was to keep lions in his home, and though the animals’ teeth and claws were removed, their unexpected appearances at parties and in the bedrooms of guests caused great fright (Renaghan n.p.). He was also reputed to sacrifice human children, have opened the bath Plautinus to the public for the sake of finding virile men for his own pleasure, married a man named Zoticus, and tried to have his adopted cousin Alexander killed (Historia Augusta 125, 133).
The plot to have Alexander killed eventually led to his demise. In a violent coup, the soldiers of Rome attacked his favorites and killed Elagabalus who was hiding in a bathroom. They dragged him through the streets and threw him in the Tiber River so he would have no burial (Historia Augusta 141). His failure to actually lead or surround himself with anyone capable of leading was bad for Rome because it lowered morale about leadership and allowed no progress for the people of the Empire. Historian B.G. Niebuhr wrote, “The name Elagabalus is branded in history above all others [because of his] unspeakably disgusting life" (Niebuhr 1844). Modern historian Martijn Icks asked, “Why did Roman historians and biographers – some of whom wrote more than a century after the facts – go to such great lengths to assassinate the character of an emperor who was already dead?” (2011). His answer was that “through their depictions of past emperors as ‘good’ or ‘bad’, ancient authors set the standard for current and future rulers” (Icks 2011). The reputation of Elagabalus as one of the worst Emperors in Rome’s history is justified in that his debauched life failed to set an example that would reverse the course toward the fall of the Roman Empire.
Works Cited
Historia Augusta. The Life of Elagabalus, Part 1. Loeb Classical Library. 1924. Web.
Icks, Martijn. The Character Assasination of the Emperor Elagabalus. I.B. Taurus, 30 Aug. 2011. Web.
Mangiaracin, Peter. Elagabalus. iClaudius and the World of Rome. n.d. Web. < http://www.i-claudius.com/writing/elagabalus.pdf>
Meckler, Michael. Elagabalus. De Imperatoribus Romanis: An Online Encyclopedia of Roman Emperors. 26 Aug. 1997. Web.
Niebuhr, B.G. History of Rome. Internet Archive: Universal Digital Library, 1844. Web.
Renaghan, Janeen. Savage Fashion: Animals and Attitude in Ancient Rome. Smithsonian Zoogoer July/Aug 1997. Web.
